Apparatus and method for deploying an object to a sea floor

ABSTRACT

A deployment apparatus for deploying an object to a sea floor is disclosed. The deployment apparatus comprises a body and an attachment part mounted to the body for releasably attaching an object to the apparatus. Thrusters provide thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto, and inflatable tanks mounted to the body have adjustable buoyancy.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for deploying an object to a sea floor, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to an apparatus and method for deploying an implement or structure to a sea floor from a vessel through sea ice.

It is known to deploy structures or implements to the seabed through sea ice, for example in Arctic regions, by connecting guide wires extending from an aperture in a deck of an icebreaker vessel to the seabed, and then guiding the structure or implement into position along the guide wires. However, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that the location of the structure or implement on the seabed can only be within a limited lateral distance of the region of the seabed directly below the vessel. This in turn limits the range of applications in which the structure or implement can be used.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,530 discloses a submarine working vehicle having floating tanks which can be filled with air by means of an air supply conduit connected to a surface vessel. However, this arrangement suffers from the drawbacks that it can only work effectively on even or smooth seabed surfaces, and the size of the working vehicle that can be deployed from a given size of surface vessel is severely limited.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome one or more of the above disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for deploying an object to a sea floor, the apparatus comprising:—

a body;

attachment means mounted to the body for releasably attaching an object to the apparatus;

thrust generating means mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto; and

buoyant means mounted to said body and having adjustable buoyancy;

wherein the buoyant means comprises at least one tank adapted to be filled with air and/or gas by means of a conduit connected to a vessel located at the sea surface.

By providing thrust generating means for providing thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto, and buoyant means having adjustable buoyancy, this provides the advantage of enabling the apparatus with an object releasably attached thereto to be transported from a vessel to a first location on the seabed by means of a cable, and then to a second location on the seabed by means of the thrust generating means subsequently to increasing the buoyancy of the combined apparatus and object by increasing the buoyancy of the buoyant means. This in turn provides the advantage of enabling objects to be deployed to subsea locations laterally further from the location of a vessel than is presently possible, thereby enabling deployment to a wider range of locations. Providing at least one tank adapted to be filled with air and/or gas by means of a conduit connected to a vessel located at the sea surface provides the further advantage of enabling a larger upthrust to be generated than is possible for an apparatus having on-board air tanks, thereby enabling larger objects to be manipulated.

The apparatus may further comprise at least one conduit adapted to be releasably connected to at least one said tank for filling said tank with air and/or gas from a vessel located at the sea surface.

The apparatus may further comprise release means for releasing at least one said conduit from the corresponding said tank.

This provides the advantage of avoiding the need for a remotely operated vehicle for releasing the conduit.

The buoyant means may comprise at least one buoyant member adapted to be moved between a respective first position, for transport from a vessel to said first location, and a second position, for transport from said first location to a second location on the sea floor.

This provides the advantage of enabling the lateral dimensions of the apparatus to be minimised while passing through an aperture on the vessel, thereby maximising the size and payload of the apparatus that can be used for a given vessel aperture size. The advantage is also provided of enabling the buoyant members to be located in respective lower positions before the buoyancy is increased, and at respective higher positions subsequently to the buoyancy being increased, thereby contributing to stability of the apparatus during deployment.

At least one said buoyant member may be pivotable between said first and second positions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for deploying an object to a sea floor, the apparatus comprising:—

a body;

attachment means mounted to the body for releasably attaching an object to the apparatus;

thrust generating means mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto; and

buoyant means mounted to said body and having adjustable buoyancy, wherein the buoyant means comprises at least one buoyant member adapted to be moved between a respective first position, for transport from a vessel to said first location, and a second position, for transport from said first location to a second location on the sea floor.

By providing at least one buoyant member adapted to be moved between a respective first position, for transport from a vessel to said first location, and a second position, for transport from said first location to a second location on the sea floor, this provides the advantage of enabling the lateral dimensions of the apparatus to be minimised while passing through an aperture on the vessel, thereby maximising the size and payload of the apparatus that can be used for a given vessel aperture size. The advantage is also provided of enabling the buoyant members to be located in respective lower positions before the buoyancy is increased, and at respective higher positions subsequently to the buoyancy being increased, thereby contributing to stability of the apparatus during deployment.

At least one said buoyant member may be pivotable between said first and second positions.

The buoyant means may comprise at least one tank adapted to be filled with air and/or gas.

At least one said tank may be adapted to be filled with air and/or gas by means of a conduit connected to a vessel located at the sea surface.

The apparatus may further comprise at least one conduit adapted to be releasably connected to at least one said tank for filling said tank with air and/or gas from a vessel located at the sea surface.

The apparatus may further comprise release means for releasing at least one said conduit from the corresponding said tank.

The apparatus may further comprise power supply means for operating at least one implement releasably mountable to said attachment means.

The power supply means may comprise at least one hydraulic power unit.

The apparatus may be adapted such that the centre of mass of the vehicle with an implement mounted thereto when suspended in air is at a different location from the centre of buoyancy of the vehicle with an implement mounted thereto when suspended in water.

This provides the advantage of enabling the apparatus to be used to deploy an implement such as a blow out preventer for sealing an oil or gas well while enabling an umbilical deploying the apparatus to avoid damage from harmful products being emitted from the well. This in turn provides the advantage of enabling the apparatus to be used for this purpose in shallow water, while enabling the surface vessel operating the apparatus to be laterally separate from the well.

The power supply means may be arranged adjacent an edge of the apparatus.

This provides the advantage of simplifying construction of the apparatus by enabling the weight of the power supply means to be balanced by the weight of the buoyant means.

The apparatus may further comprise at least one aperture for enabling flowing material to pass therethrough.

This provides the advantage of assisting operation of the apparatus in deploying a blow out preventer.

The apparatus may further comprise at least one implement adapted to be releasably attached to said attachment means.

The implement may comprise sea floor removal means and/or locating means for locating at least one elongate object in a trench.

The implement may comprise sealing means for sealing an oil and/or gas well.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of deploying an object to a sea floor, the method comprising:—

attaching an object to attachment means of an apparatus as defined above;

deploying the apparatus and object by means of a cable from a vessel to a first location on a sea floor;

increasing buoyancy of said buoyant means; and

moving the object to a second location on the sea floor by means of said thrust generating means.

The method may further comprise deploying said apparatus and object to said first location through an aperture in a vessel located in sea ice.

The method may further comprise deploying said object to the sea floor at said second location by generating downward force on the apparatus by means of said thrust generating means.

This provides the advantage of assisting in locating the object.

The step of increasing said buoyancy may comprise filling at least part of said buoyant means with air and/or gas.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for displacing material from a sea floor, the apparatus comprising:

a body:

thrust generating means mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus; and

displacement means for generating a flow of water to the sea floor to displace material therefrom.

By providing thrust generating means mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus, this provides the advantage of enabling a displacement apparatus such as an excavator to be used independently of a surface vessel, thereby enabling access to previously inaccessible locations.

The thrust generating means may be adapted to provide thrust having a vertical component.

This provides the advantage of enabling a downward thrust to be generated by the apparatus, to counteract an upward thrust generated by the displacement means, thereby enabling a displacement means of higher power to be used.

The displacement means may comprise at least one fan.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:—

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a known deployment apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a first jetting apparatus in a transport condition thereof for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first chain cutting apparatus in a transport condition thereof for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 in a deployed condition thereof and mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 in a deployed condition thereof and mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an excavator apparatus of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a second chain cutter apparatus mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the chain cutter and deployment apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a drilling apparatus mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the drilling apparatus and deployment apparatus of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rotary cutter mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a digger head for replacing the rotary cutter of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a drill for replacing the rotary cutter of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a well construction skid mounted to a deployment apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a well construction component mounted to the deployment apparatus of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a deployment apparatus of a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an end view of the apparatus of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 17 being lowered from a surface vessel; and

FIG. 20 is an end view of the apparatus of FIG. 18 being lowered from a surface vessel.

Referring to FIG. 1, a known deployment apparatus 2 forming part of an undersea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has a body 4 having an attachment point 6 for a lifting cable 8, and an attachment part 14 for enabling releasable attachment of an object or implement such as a jetting vehicle 16 (FIG. 2) to the attachment part 14 for enabling releasable attachment of an implement to the deployment apparatus 2, as well as vertical thrusters 18 and horizontal thrusters 20 arranged at respective corners of the body 4 for moving the apparatus 2 between the first and second locations.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a deployment apparatus 2 embodying the present invention. The deployment apparatus 2 has a body 4 having an attachment point 6 (FIG. 15) for a lifting cable 8 and a pair of buoyant members in the form of inflatable tanks 10, 12 pivotably attached to the body 4 and moveable between a first position, for transporting the apparatus 2 from a surface vessel (not shown) to a first location on the sea bed, as shown in FIG. 14, and a second position, for transporting from the first location to a second location on the sea bed, as shown in FIG. 15. The deployment apparatus 2 is also provided with an attachment part 14 for enabling releasable attachment of an object or implement such as a jetting vehicle 16 (FIG. 2) to the attachment part 14 for enabling releasable attachment of an implement to the deployment apparatus 2, as well as vertical thrusters 18 and horizontal thrusters 20 arranged at respective corners of the body 4 for moving the apparatus 2 between the first and second locations.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, tracked jetting vehicle 16 for releasable attachment to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14 has a body 22 having a connector (not shown) for connection to a hydraulic power unit (not shown) provided in the deployment apparatus 2. A jetting device 24 is moveable between a transport position (FIG. 2) and a deployment position (FIG. 5) for removing debris from a trench to enable location of a cable or pipeline (not shown) into the trench, and a pair of tracks 26 for moving the jetting device 24 along the trench.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a first chain cutting apparatus 28 for locating a cable (not shown) in a trench has a body 30 having an attachment part for removable attachment to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14, and an attachment (not shown) for connection to the hydraulic power unit of the deployment apparatus 2. A chain cutter 32 is mounted to the body 30 and is pivotably moveable between a transport position (FIG. 3) and a cutting position (FIG. 4) for cutting a trench. A cable guide 34 is pivotably mounted to the body 30 and is moveable between a transport position (FIG. 3) and a deployment position (FIG. 4) in which it guides a cable into a trench cut by the chain cutter 32. The chain cutter is advanced along the seabed by means of tracks 36 to cut the trench.

FIG. 6 shows a remotely operable excavator apparatus 39 embodying the present invention. The apparatus 39 has a body 40 removably mounted to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14 and a mass flow excavation unit 42 for removing debris from a trench cut by the chain cutting apparatus 28 of FIGS. 3 and 4 mounted to the body 40. The body 40 has skids 41 for location on the sides of the trench. The excavation unit 42 has a pair of fans 43 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 6), each of the fans 43 being arranged in a respective water inlet 45. The fans 43 cause water to be drawn into the inlets 45 and eject a high pressure stream of water from outlet 47 to displace debris from the trench.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second chain cutting apparatus 44 mounted to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14 and having a body 46 supporting a pair of trench cutters 48 for cutting a trench on opposite sides of a pipeline 50 which is subsequently laid into the trench. The trench cutters 48 are propelled along the trench by means of tracks 52.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a drilling apparatus 54 having a coring drill base 56 to enable core samples to be taken from the seabed. The drilling apparatus 54 is mounted to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14 and comprises a body 58 supporting the drill base 56.

Referring to FIG. 11 a rotary cutter apparatus 58 has a body 60 removably connectable to the deployment apparatus 2 of FIG. 1 or 14 and a manipulator arm 62 connected to the body 60. Rotary cutter heads 64 are mounted to a distal end of the manipulator arm 62, and a suction tube 66 is provided for removal of debris produced by the cutter heads 64. The rotary cutter heads 64 can be replaced by an excavator arm 68 cooperating with a suction tube 70 as shown in FIG. 12 or a digger head 72 as shown in FIG. 13.

Referring to FIG. 14, a well construction skid 74 for use in construction of well heads has a body 76 supporting a well connector 78, the body being 76 removably attachable to the deployment apparatus 2. In order to mount the well construction skid 74 to the seabed, the well construction skid 74 is attached to the deployment apparatus 2 with the buoyant members 10, 12 in their respective transport positions. The deployment apparatus 2 with the well construction skid 74 mounted thereto is lowered by means of a cable 8 attached to cable attachment point 6 (FIG. 15) through an aperture known as a moon pool in an icebreaking vessel, and lowered to a first location on the seabed. When the apparatus 2 reaches its first location, the buoyant members 10, 12 are then pivoted about their pivot axes by means of a motor or remotely operated vehicle (not shown) to their working positions (FIG. 15) and an air hose (not shown) is connected by means of the remotely operated vehicle to each buoyant member 10, 12 to enable the tanks to be filled with air to increase the buoyancy of the apparatus 2. Alternatively, an air hose can be connected to each buoyant member 10,12 at the surface, so that the buoyant members 10, 12 can be filled with air as the apparatus 2 is being lowered to the first location on the sea bed. The air hoses can then be released from the buoyant members 10, 12 by means of release means such as hydraulic cylinders on the apparatus 2, thereby avoiding the need for a remotely operated vehicle. The deployment cable 8 is then disconnected, and the apparatus 2 with the well construction skid 74 is moved to its second location on the seabed. The well construction skid 72 is then brought into contact with the seabed by means of the vertical thrusters 18 and the well construction skid 74 is secured to the seabed by means of a remotely operated vehicle. After the well construction skid 74 has been secured to the seabed, the apparatus 2 is detached from the well construction skid and returned to the vessel for re-use.

FIG. 15 shows a further well construction component 78 to be secured to the seabed by means of the deployment apparatus 2 and a solid buoyancy member 80 provided on the component 78. The solid buoyancy member 80 assists in manipulation of the component 78 and apparatus 2 to the second location, and is left in place in the component 78 when the component is secured to the second location.

Referring to FIGS. 16 to 20, a deployment apparatus 80 of a second embodiment of the invention has a body 82 having an open framework having an upper part defining a lift point 84 for an umbilical (not shown) for lifting the deployment apparatus 80 with a blow-out preventer (not shown), for sealing an oil or gas well, mounted to an underside thereof. The deployment apparatus 80 is lifted from the deck of a surface vessel by means of a hydraulic A-frame 86 supporting the apparatus. A hydraulic power unit 88 and other electrical equipment is located adjacent an edge region 90 of the frame, and air tanks 92, 94 of the apparatus 80 protrude beyond the edge 96 of the frame opposite to the edge 90 at which the hydraulic power unit 88 and electrical equipment is located to compensate for the increased weight on that side of the body. In this way, the centre of mass 98 of the apparatus 80 with a blow-out preventer (not shown) mounted thereto is at a location to one side of a central aperture 100 defined in the frame, and the centre of buoyancy 102 of the apparatus 80 when submerged is at the centre of the central aperture 100. The blow-out preventer (BOP) is supported at a pair of BOP lift points 104, 106 on opposite sides of the central aperture 100 so that the centre of buoyancy 102 is generally midway between the two BOP lift points 104, 106. In this way, when the apparatus 80 is maneuvering the blow-out preventer towards an oil or gas well by means of horizontal thrusters 108 and/or vertical thrusters 110, harmful material being ejected from the well passes through the central aperture 100 and thereby does not cause damage to the umbilical mounted to the vehicle lift point 84, which is located above the centre of mass in air.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An apparatus for deploying an object to a sea floor, the apparatus comprising: a body; at least one attachment device mounted to the body for releasably attaching an object to the apparatus; at least one thrust generating device mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto; and at least one buoyant device mounted to said body and having adjustable buoyancy, wherein at least one said buoyant device comprises at least one tank adapted to be filled with air and/or gas by means of a conduit connected to a vessel located at the sea floor.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one conduit adapted to be releasably connected to at least one said tank for filling said tank with air and/or gas from a vessel located at the sea floor.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising at least one release device for releasing at least one said conduit from the corresponding said tank.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one said buoyant device comprises at least one buoyant member adapted to be moved between a respective first position, for transport from a vessel to said first location, and a second position, for transport from said first location to a second location on the sea floor.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one said buoyant member is pivotable between said first and second positions.
 6. An apparatus for deploying an object to a sea floor, the apparatus comprising: a body; at least one attachment device mounted to the body for releasably attaching an object to the apparatus; at least one thrust generating device mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus having an object attached thereto; and at least one buoyant device mounted to said body and having adjustable buoyancy, wherein at least one said buoyant device comprises at least one buoyant member adapted to be moved between a respective first position, for transport from a vessel to said first location, and a second position, for transport from said first location to a second location on the sea floor.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one said buoyant member is pivotable between said first and second positions.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one said buoyant device comprises at least one tank adapted to be filled with air and/or gas.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one said tank is adapted to be filled with air and/or gas by means of a conduit connected to a vessel located at the sea surface.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising at least one conduit adapted to be releasably connected to said at least one said tank for filling said tank with air and/or gas from a vessel located at the sea floor.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising at least one release device for releasing at least one said conduit from the corresponding said tank.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one power supply for operating at least one implement releasably mountable to at least one said attachment device.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one said power supply comprises at least one hydraulic power unit.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted such that the centre of mass of the apparatus with an implement mounted thereto when suspended in air is at a different location from the centre of buoyancy of the apparatus with an implement mounted thereto when suspended in water.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least one power supply is arranged adjacent an edge of the apparatus.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one aperture for enabling flowing material to pass therethrough.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one implement adapted to be releasably attached to at least one said attachment device.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the implement comprises at least one sea floor removal device and/or at least one locating device for locating at least one elongate object in a trench.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the implement comprises at least one sealing device for sealing an oil and/or gas well.
 20. A method of deploying an object to a sea floor, the method comprising:— attaching an object to at least one attachment device of an apparatus according to claim 1; deploying the apparatus and object by means of a cable from a vessel to a first location on a sea floor; increasing buoyancy of at least one said buoyant device; and moving the object to a second location on the sea floor by means of at least one said thrust generating device.
 21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising deploying said apparatus and object to said first location through an aperture in a vessel located in sea ice.
 22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising deploying said object to the sea floor at said second location by generating downward force on the apparatus by means of at least one said thrust generating device.
 23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the step of increasing said buoyancy comprises filling at least part of at least one said buoyant device with air and/or gas.
 24. An apparatus for displacing material from a sea floor, the apparatus comprising: a body: at least one thrust generating device mounted to the body for providing thrust to transport the apparatus; and at least one displacement device for generating a flow of water to the sea floor to displace material therefrom.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein at least one said thrust generating device is adapted to provide thrust having a vertical component.
 26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein at least one said displacement device comprises at least one fan. 